She smiled. If anyone could, it would be Amelia.
Then Zoe had to deal with Brenda. She’d have to leave for St. Louis soon or she’d be stuck here for the holidays. The woman would bring a pall over Christmas. The last thing Zoe needed was Brenda schlumping around, whining, with her hand out for a loan.
Lunch turned into a disaster. Brenda sat quiet and sullen while the girls made it their life mission to be as crabalicious as possible. Macy and Michaela’s shouting match over who got the last chicken nugget bored into Zoe’s skull with the precision of a dentist’s drill. A drill with a fine bit and no Novocain. Mia whined about the cheese. She wanted string cheese instead of cheddar cubes. The world would come to an end if she didn’t get string cheese.
“Girls!” Zoe commanded over the noise. “If you insist on turning into pumpkins, you can go straight 267
Dyann Love Barr
to your room. On second thought, I think a nap is in order.” She turned to Brenda who fingered a potato chip on her plate as if it was an alien object. “I’ll be back.”
Zoe marched the complaining girls up the stairs.
Mia broke into tears.
“What is wrong with you three?” Zoe pulled back the covers on Mia’s bed. “Sit.” She pulled off shoes and socks and tucked the girls in.
“We got to talk to Santa.” Macy turned her face to the wall with a pout, pulling Dora close. “Who’s going to take us to see Santa?”
“Your father said he would try to take you on the twenty-third. Remember? That’s tomorrow.”
“That’s too late.” Michaela sat up. “Please, Mommy can we go today?”
Zoe had to disappoint again. “No, I have a lot of work to do, and Aunt Brenda is here to see you girls.
We don’t have time today, besides it’s going to snow.”
Michaela flopped back in disgust. “I told you. We won’t get to see Santa.”
“Ladies…” She twisted the rod on the mini-blinds until the room darkened. “Nap time.”
A few more grumbles, and they quieted down.
Zoe went down the stairs one step at a time, reluctant to have any more alone time with Brenda.
The woman eyed everything in the house as if the cost of Zoe’s home took bread out of her mouth. She walked into the kitchen and began to put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher.
“Is something wrong with your sandwich, Brenda?”
“No. I’m not really hungry.” Brenda’s shoulders slumped. She eyed the plate holding the bacon and tomato sandwich with disgust and pushed it away. “I think I’ll take you up on the offer of the money. Like I said, a few hundred won’t even begin to cover the amount I need to get back on my feet.” Brenda 268
A Perfect Bride for Christmas slathered on the guilt with a trowel. “It would kill James to see how you’re treating me, now that you have control of his money.”
“I told you it’s in a trust.”
“Whatever,” Brenda sneered.
“That’s all I have.” Zoe added the dishwashing powder and closed the door. “You can take it or leave it. I don’t care.”
“Okay.” Brenda nodded and threw her napkin on the table. “I’m going to go pack. I need to get out of here before the storm hits. Looks like the trip to St. Louis should be uneventful, if I can keep ahead of it.” The doorbell rang. Zoe rushed into the living room to keep whoever was at the door from ringing it again. The girls had just settled down, and she didn’t want them disturbed before she had a chance to take a breather.
Her heart flipped in her chest at the sight of Alex standing in a flurry of fluffy snowflakes. They danced around in the air, so delicate, as they brushed his face and kissed his hair. Zoe felt her heart tear in two. She’d bleed out if he touched her.
And yet, she wanted his touch.
“Hi.” She opened the door wider to let him in.
The scent of wintery cold, the sharpness of the snowdrops melting into his hair mixed with his cologne. Zoe stepped back as he came into the front hall. She put her finger against her lips to let him know he needed to be quiet. “What brings you here?”
Zoe whispered as she took his coat and put it in the hall closet. “I just put the girls down for a nap, and believe me, they need it. They’ll be out for couple of hours. Are you sure you want to wait that long?”
“No, you’re the one I need to talk to, Zoe.”
Brenda came out of the kitchen. “Well, well, who is this?” she purred with interest. Her hands smoothed her sweater and slacks as she approached.
269
Dyann Love Barr
Brenda thrust out her small, pert breasts for his inspection. Her eyes ate Alex up.
“This is Alex King. The girls’ father.” She tried to keep her voice neutral. “Alex, this is Brenda Bennett. James’ sister.”
Alex flashed a dimpled smile. “Hello. I can’t tell you how much your brother’s care and love of my family is appreciated.”
For once, the fabled Alex King charm failed.
Brenda scowled as her approval turned sour.
“They’re his family. God knows he left those kids all his money. If you really want to show your appreciation, you can give me twenty thousand dollars.”
“Brenda!” Zoe let out a hushed cry of embarrassment. Alex’s stunned look added to the heat creeping into her cheeks. “It’s time for you to leave, now.”
“Looks like you’ve got another rich sucker in you targets,” Brenda shrugged. “It doesn’t hurt to ask, now does it?”
“Just go. I want you out of here, right now.” Zoe turned her back and walked back to the kitchen, head high even though she wished the floor would open and swallow her.
Alex followed behind her. “Wait, wait.” He stopped her with a gentle touch to her shoulder.
“What was that all about?”
“You heard her. I thought Brenda made herself
pretty clear, she needs money.”
He turned her around and tipped her chin up with one finger. His smile cleared the clouds away.
“I kind of figured that part out. It’s the why that has me confused.”
Zoe told Alex their turbulent history, what she’d said to the girls at James’ funeral, as well as the constant begging for money.
“I tried, I really did, but I can’t enable her 270
A Perfect Bride for Christmas anymore.”
“Okay.” He leaned down to place a gentle kiss on her mouth and pulled back with a smile.
“What is wrong with you? You’re engaged.” She gave him a soft push and moved away from the distraction of his body so close to hers. The slight touch of his lips against hers let the floodgates open and left her wanting more.
“Can you stand some good news?”
“Anything.” She needed a distraction, whatever it took to keep her mind off the empty bed upstairs.
In two heartbeats, all her fine resolutions would fail.
“I’m not marrying Sydney.” A dimple popped out with his smile. “Not now, not ever.”
“What?” The air in the room seemed thin, so thin she felt breathless. Her jaw dropped in shock.
“Didn’t I tell you I am calling off the wedding, hmmm?”
“Yes, but—”
Alex waggled a finger at her. “No buts.” His eyes searched hers, bright blue and excited. “I asked you to give me a second chance, and you said you had doubts, real doubts, about my character?”
“Yes.”
Zoe’s heart hammered and banged like all three girls were pounding on her pots and pans. Its beating drowned out what he said. She wanted to throw herself in his arms, beg him to be a part of her life, but she held back. Old fears crowded out his words until she couldn’t make out his words.
“I can’t think right now.” She turned away, her hand over her mouth to keep the words I love you from slipping out again. He already knew she loved him, but was it enough?
“Zoe, I—”
“I’m leaving now.” Brenda stood in th
e doorway with her bags on the floor. “So you can write me check or give the money to me in cash.”
271
Dyann Love Barr
Alex frowned down at Zoe. “You’re giving her money? I thought you said no.”
“You don’t have any say in this, Mr. King. You may be the girls’ father, but how Zoe spends James’
money is up to her.”
“It’s coming out of my personal account.” Zoe glanced over at Alex. “And it’s the last time, ever.
Brenda, after this, you’re on your own.”
She hoped she didn’t sound like a bitch. Zoe went into the hallway to the antique cabinet where she kept her purse. With a few quick strokes of a pen, she wrote a check and pulled out some cash.
Brenda was out the door the instant she had the money in her hands.
“I hope she makes it back to St. Louis in one piece.” Zoe closed the door and heard Brenda’s car engine fire up. “If the weather holds up, and she doesn’t spot a bar on the way, she should be okay.”
“Zoe, talk to me.”
She looked up the stairs. “Not here. Let’s go back to the kitchen. I don’t want to take the chance of waking the girls.”
They went into the kitchen, and Zoe glanced out the window. The snow fell harder, shading the world beyond until it became necessary for her to turn on the lights.
“Would you like some coffee?” She needed to do something to do with her hands, but Alex stopped her before she could head toward the coffeemaker.
His blue eyes bore into hers. “Listen to me, really listen to me.” He took her hands, his thumb tracing small circles on the top as if it were a worry stone. “I want you in my life, Zoe. Not just the girls.”
“Alex, don’t do this.”
“I can’t help it. I’ve already told you how I feel.”
He hadn’t said he loved her, only that he desired her. Zoe wanted more. Much more. Still, his nearness had to be enough for now.
272
A Perfect Bride for Christmas
****
His fingers brushed the top of the table. “I see you didn’t buy a new table.” Zoe’s blush eased his aching heart. Deep green sparked in her fantastic eyes. She wanted him but he still felt her hesitation.
“It seemed like a waste of money. Besides, I didn’t want to make up some lame story for Cherri when she gets back from St. Louis.” Her hand trailed over the surface he’d just touched. “Anyway, I like this table.”
He moved in closer, watching the softness of her lips as she spoke. Zoe’s eyelids fluttered down, and Alex let his fingers twine through hers, over the spot where they’d made love the last time. “Good, I’m kind of fond of it myself.”
Her breath tickled the hollow of his neck. Where Sydney’s touch did nothing, Zoe’s moist breath sent shock waves rippling through his body. Heat surged, swelled until he wanted to grab her in his arms and take her here, upstairs, anywhere. His erection was quick and hard. Yet, he had to go slow. Make her believe. “Zoe, you’re killing me.”
“I’m not doing anything.”
“Oh yes, you are.”
She stared up at him, and a slow, knowing smile parted her lips. “You undo me, Alex. Every time I think I have this feeling under control, you stoke it up again.” Zoe reached up to put her hand on his chest, her fingers spreading over the hammering behind his ribs. “What am I supposed to do?”
Alex took her mouth in a gentle kiss, soft and sure, but one that left his control at the edge of his endurance. She let him in, teasing the spark between them the instant he caught fire.
“Zoe,” he pulled back, cupping her face in his hands. “You have no idea how much I missed you after you left Vegas. I think I grieved more for your 273
Dyann Love Barr
loss than I did for Bianca’s.”
“You hurt me.” She looked up at him, the hurt from so long ago fresh in her eyes.”
“I know.” He rained kisses over her face, tasting the salt of her tears. “Don’t cry.”
“I’m not.” Her hand came up to touch his cheek.
“Not in the way you think.” A smile replaced the pain in her gaze. “Where do we go from here?”
Alex rested his forehead against hers. “I have a plan.”
“Oh, what is that?”
“You’ll see.” His mouth captured hers, tasting, teasing her until her groan of pleasure hit him full force. His body responded, straining for release.
Zoe’s hand ran from his shoulders down to the erection straining against the heavy denim of his jeans. His heart pumped faster at her feathered touch.
“Get out of those clothes,” Alex growled as he unhooked her jeans. He had them off, including her shoes, in one desperate pull.
“The girls are asleep upstairs.”
“How long are they usually out?”
Zoe stifled a giggle. “They just went down. So we have at least an hour—max.”
“Time enough.” He knelt before her with a wicked smile on his face.
Zoe pulled her top over her head and unhooked her bra. She dropped it on the floor with a smile.
“There. Now what?”
Her scent filled his nostrils, calling to him. Alex kissed each thigh, his tongue stroking the tender flesh until he found what he wanted. Her fingers teased his hair as he tasted her, delved deeper between the pouty lips of her sex.
“Alex,” Zoe cried out as he found her clit, flicking it until her legs shook and she gripped the edge of the table for support.
274
A Perfect Bride for Christmas He stood. “I see my plan is working.”
“I have one of my own.” She captured his breath in her mouth. Her tongue stroked his, tangling in a hot mesh of passion.
Alex’s hand skimmed up her torso to graze the underside of her breasts. His thumb found her nipple, turning it into a hot beacon that begged for his touch.
“You’re the one wearing too many clothes.” Zoe worked his sweater over his head, His heart raced under her hand. Zoe’s nails raked a gentle path over his ribs to scrape his nipple, tangling in the soft hair of his chest.
It wasn’t a time for gentleness. With one quick move, Alex sat her on the table and splayed her legs apart. His mouth crushed hers as his fingers delved between her folds to find the center of her desire. He stroked her, built the fire heating her skin..
His mouth moved lower to capture a breast.
While he suckled and nipped, one finger slipped inside her in a slow, deliberate slide. He added another, stretching her, preparing her.
She released the button on his jeans, unzipping them until she found his penis, strong and hard—
silk over steel. He used his thumb to work her clit until her body tensed and the world fell apart for her again.. Still, he couldn’t get enough.
“Alex, more, I want more.” Her words echoed his desire. She stroked the length of his erection. This time she held him, brought him closer.
Alex pulled her to the edge of the table and spread her to seat himself at her entrance.
“I want you. Dear God, help me, I want you.”
Alex spilled desperate kisses over her face. His hands gripped her hips as he thrust forward.
Hazel eyes burned green, gold and amber into his, hot and wild. She branded him soul deep. The truth had always been there—she belonged to him, 275
Dyann Love Barr
no matter what.
Zoe lay back on the table. His thrusts deepened, each caress designed to drive her to the brink. Her breath came in little pants. Alex’s hands went from her shoulders to her breast, his fingers rolling her nipple, pulling and stroking until he bent over to take one in his mouth. The urgent movement sent her over the edge, taking him with her.
Her body trembled, shook with the power of her orgasm. Alex, still buried inside her, braced himself on the table with his hands on either side of her shoulders. “You know, I really like this table,” he rasped.
Zoe smiled, still t
rying to catch her breath.
Suddenly, she stiffened.
“What’s wrong?”
“I thought I heard something.” Zoe’s head turned toward the door, her bottom lip tucked between her teeth.
Alex shook his head. “I think it was me. My heart just exploded.”
“No, I thought I heard the front door.” She sat up and grabbed her tee-shirt.
“Are you sure you’re not just being paranoid?”
“Maybe the girls are up early.” Zoe snatched up the rest of her clothes and raced to the small powder room off the kitchen. “Hurry, get dressed. They’ll be here any second.” She called through the door over the sound of running water. “I don’t want to have to explain anatomy to them just yet.”
Alex chuckled as he did a hasty clean up and yanked on his sweater. “We’d have a lot of explaining to do.” He went into the living room to check on potential noises.
No one was there. He didn’t see anything out of place. Alex’s hand went into his pocket to find Zoe’s gold band. Once the tip of his index finger found it, he rolled it around in his pocket with all the zeal of a 276
A Perfect Bride for Christmas penitent doing the Rosary. Lord knew, he had a lot of amends to make to Zoe.
“I’m sure I heard someone moving around in here.”
He turned to see her bright-eyed, glowing with satisfaction. The blush painting her cheeks made him crazy to take her over the edge one more time.
“You take my breath away.” Alex gathered her in his arms to place a gentle kiss on the heated skin next to her mouth.
Zoe’s face grew redder, her lashes dropped to hide her eyes. “I’m just me.”
“But a very special me. ”
The grandfather clock struck two. She frowned.
Perfect Bride for Christmas, A Page 26